In the rainy season it is common to see Leopard Tortoises strolling around, some are huge (the biggest specimens have been reported to be up to 60 kg/132 lbs) while others are tiny. One recently came through camp and the camp dogs were agitated beyond belief. I imagine that they usually flush anything out with aggressive barking but due to their speed and natural fortification, the tortoises stand their ground or just carry on. I think the dogs are flummoxed by the lack of respect and it makes them nervy.
They eventually made their way to sniff the tortoise and I felt the need to intervene on behalf of the poor guy. I shooed off the dogs and let the tortoise be on its way.
One of my favorite times to visit the park is after the first rains in late November. I feel there is a strong chance for a small rain in October, of which provides immense relief after months of arid heat, and then the first real rain of the year sometime in November. The end of the dry season is an amazing time as the landscape slowly transforms itself filling with insects, grasses and migrating wildlife. It's difficult to articulate just exactly how tough conditions are at the end of six months without any rain but the landscape feels completely parched. Even though wildlife is easier to find congregating closer to permanent water sources, it can almost feel apocalyptic with how dry conditions are.
With that being said, I was thrilled to find myself in the park a few days after some rain. In the morning it was overcast giving way to picturesque Ruaha conditions and in the afternoon the sky was vivid blue with striking massive white cumulus clouds.
We saw loads of wildlife with a big herd of buffalo around the Mwagusi and a pride of nearly a dozen lions following close behind. Even without the wildlife it would have been one of my favorite trips of the year. Something about the transforming and relieved landscape is palpable along with the beautiful light and colors of freshly germinated plants...
Through a set of circumstances with work, Ana traveling up north for a training, and the need for a change of scenery, I spent a week in Dar es Salaam this past month.
I have never been a fan of Dar es Salaam and when we used to live in Moshi we rarely visited. These days the nearest international airport is Dar es Salaam so we usually pass through, and our work expanded to an area that also results in us spending more time in Dar es Salaam in transit. As the true economic capital of Tanzania I always having a running list of things to do while there (get an eye exam, purchase laptops for work, follow up at a government office for a permission letter...) and there are also some nice restaurants, certainly more options than Iringa!
One of the features I least like about Dar es Salaam is the coastal climate. The majority of the year it is hot and humid. Many of the businesses in Dar es Salaam are still without climate control capabilities and thus I am typically sweating prodigiously. While Dar es Salaam is by far the biggest city in Tanzania, it is quite disappointing for big city standards internationally, certainly a minnow compared to the more cosmopolitan Nairobi. It has the feel of a local traders hustle bustle city rather than an international business feel.
One of my favorite unique features of Dar es Salaam are the fruit bats that come to roost every evening. Many of the compounds and properties in Dar still have massive trees and thousands of these bats come out at night, check out the video below:
The Great Ruaha River runs from the headwaters in the Usangu wetlands up towards the Mtera Reservoir. As the river runs north the landscape becomes lower and drier resulting in an arid near desert with spectacular riverine forest along the Ruaha. The river eventually splits into two and then fans out into a massive wetlands before spilling into the Mtera Resevoir. The northernmost part of the ecosystem is dominated by black cotton soil and whistling thorn acacias. It can be a hostile environment and wildlife densities are lower than other parts of the Ruaha River. Still, there are good populations of eland, zebra, giraffe, and waterbuck, as well as healthy populations of lion and elephant.
Lunda is seldom visited due to the distance from the heart of Ruaha National Park where the Mwagusi and Ruaha rivers meet. I don't fault most visitors for not wanting to brave the heat for sparse game viewing but the habitat is uniquely different from the wetter parts of Ruaha National Park. If one has the chance it's certainly worth checking out.
Nothing like walking in a dry river bed early in the morning.
The dry season can be brutally hot and seemingly devoid of life. Wildlife congregate at dwindling water sources and landscapes look dry and unwelcoming. If you want to go on a hike in peak dry season, best to go as early as possible!
As tough as the dry season can be, there is a beauty to the dry aesthetic and any active critter or plant that draws your attention probably has some interesting adaptation to check out. One of the other advantages is that you can access all types of areas. I am particularly fond of either walking along the ridge of a river bed or inside the dry river. It's an amazing experience to look for tracks and signs, though in our area you have to be careful to not sneak up on any elephants or buffalo!
While we have done more adventurous exploration of the Rufiji River (Trip I), our latest trip was not as intensive though still interesting. We are still getting to know the area so it's exciting to check out new areas. The main highway, going north/south from Dar es Salaam all the way to Mozambique, bisects the large mouth of the Rufiji River. One of the longest bridges in Africa, the Mkapa bridge (named by and for the third president of Tanzania, Benjamin Mkapa) is a notable feature in the area.
There are settlements on both sides of the Rufiji River as you head west. On the north side of the river there are over a dozen villages before you reach the gate of Nyerere National Park. On the southside of the river there are fewer villages heading to the local administrative capital called Utete, the last village before the entrance to the Kingupira side of Selous Game Reserve.
I've gone down both ends but these days I spend more time on the north side. It's amazing how wild the river remains even with heavy traffic from small boats. Crocodiles and hippos can be seen and heard all along the river. There are a few larger permanent lakes, ponds, and shallow pools, some of which will dry up during the peak of the dry season.
Jongomero is a critically underrated and under-visted part of Ruaha National Park. The lodge is the furthest west and the furthest south of any of the lodges in Ruaha. This means it is closer to the headwaters of the Ruaha River which means it is wetter than other areas of the park. It has some unique landscapes and mean tsetse flies (part of a deterrent for some) but the beautiful Jongomero Camp provides some respite. The camp is one of the older camps in the park and is wisely constructed around the contours of the river. Until the past few years, the pool at the camp was the only one in Ruaha (I think there are now five?). So much action occurs around the river that phenomenal sightings can occur while checking out the river from the pool!
Grab your binoculars or cold beer and enjoy the view.
In this specific instance, someone had rented out a small stall in Iringa town and transported these bundles for storage. They were all branded with a tag that the seller indicated was a sign they all came together in one shipping container. That means someone in America consolidated the items, wrapped them up, and arranged their shipment to Dar es Salaam. The seller explained that the bundles were graded and the cost of one was anywhere from 250,000-450,000tsh ($100-200). The contents could range from designer items sourced from throw away culture in an affluent suburban neighborhood, or it could be full of dilapidated and disintegrating clothes.
These bundles will be purchased by entrepreneurs and then usually sold to smaller vendors. Nicer clothes will attract a premium at shops while other items may end up in a random pile with other goods at a fixed price (often accompanied by someone shouting the price). The journey of a t-shirt or pair of jeans can be unexpected...
Tanzania’s rainy season brings about a sensational transformation with an explosion of leaves, seed germination, and grasses. Tanzania has given me a newfound interest and respect for a variety of grasses and their veracious life cycle. Where I am from grasses are mostly landscaped and planted for their aesthetic but the wild grasses here are robust and wildly varied. Grasses here might grow 2m (6.5 ft) tall or be only a few centimeters. The size and orientation of the seeds give grasses unique dimensions akin to the silhouettes of trees: some have seeds hanging from the top like a palm tree, others are densely packed like a fir.
The thing I ultimately appreciate the most about the grass is the cycle. In the dry season you might see some thin, dry, brown grass in patches or see stubbled patches where herbivores grazed. By the end of the dry season most of the grass is either burned, eaten, or trampled. Dried grass fields are dusty and uninviting. But when those first rains hit, the rapid germination is incredible. Suddenly dry bits of brown earth explode into green as blades of grass compete to proliferate. These grasses are bright green and continue to grow quickly while also attracting various insects like mantises and grasshoppers. The grasses flower and put out their seeds while gradually drying up. Late rains can restart this cycle and the grass growth can be a barometer for predicted rainfall.
Fresh grass in the rainy season.
Dried grass.
Although the grasses are beautiful and interesting, they can be a pain. The first thing is that they obscure visibility. When you have 2.5m (7.5 ft) long grass, visibility is poor if you're keeping an eye out fr elephants and buffalo. And feeling vulnerable while walking, or even driving, is less than ideal. The second thing is that I have allergies and if I’ve done even a half decent job of explaining how prevalent and prolific grass is here, then you can put 2+2 and imagine how I feel about that. Otherwise don’t be surprised if someone comes back from a trip to Tanzania and exclaims that yes the lions are wonderful BUT, have you seen the different types of grass?!
Can't see much over this grass.
Trail blazing roads can lead to an incredible amount of grass seed accumulating. This photo was taken after the video below.
There is a nice area of village land nearby that is unique in our area. Located at the foothills of a small range, the area is unique in that it marks the area where the dominant habitat changes from miombo woodland to acacia/commmiphora. It's nice to have a literal change of scenery and because miombo wodlands have poorer soil there is less vegetation and undergrowth making it easier to walk around. It's also nice to be up in the hills as the vast majority of our landscape is flat and thus you don't often get nice views.
There was evidence that indicated daily movement of elephants and we ran into some impala and kudu. We also found a carcass of a giraffe that had been licked clean by lions and hyenas. It was a really nice cool day and the added elevation made the temperature enjoyable and thus extended the hours of our walk!
One of the coolest features of the highway from Dar es Salaam going west is the passage through Mikumi National Park. Although photography and stopping to view animals is permitted, you can easily see several different kinds of animals in what I dub a, “poverty safari”. It’s not unusual to have to stop to let a giraffe or elephant cross the road and although game viewing is much better in the dry season, the rainy season can still offer some surprises.
I’ve driven through Mikumi dozens of times but I had never seen a lion from the road. Well, my luck changed the other day when we saw a sturdy lioness come on to the road at 11am. She was completely unbothered by our car and oncoming traffic and continued to stroll for about five minutes before she went off the side of the road.
For some reason, the national park posts signs in the park indicating that photography is not permitted if you are passing through, and thus to technically get permission to take and post this picture, I had to stop at the national park office and pay the admission fee for the national park. It’s a shame because Mikumi National Park in transit is the only opportunity the majority of Tanzanians get to enter a national park. In my opinion, the sharing of pictures should be encouraged to raise awareness about domestic tourism as well as encouraging positive feelings towards wildlife.
One of our go to local day excursions is a small generously labeled “waterfall” (previous trips) located in the foothills to the south. The area is inaccessible during the rainy season and thus we usually try to go as soon as it dries up so that we can see the water level in the river/waterfall. It’s a pretty little hike up to the water point and the length of the hike can vary depending on how close you park your vehicle. There are some trails around the foothills and you can climb up to get a beautiful vista of the surrounding area.
Because the water level varies, it is always tricky to try to find a place to swim. When it’s dry there are several little pools and it’s easy to navigate over dry boulders but in the rainy season it is more slippery and the fast flowing water requires you to be a little more careful!
Any Mountain Wagtails?
There was so much water I couldn't even get to my normal spot to take a comparison pic.
I've written about Kisolanza Farm House before but I want to highlight their food as they have just opened a roadside cafe meaning more people will be able to easily access their menu.
They have always done an amazing job with their food across all the meals and I've appreciated their creativity with local ingredients. Some of my favorites are their farm-fresh light lunch, chocolate mousse, farm fresh strawberries with homemade cream, carrot lasagna, and the t-bone steak. I am excited that their roadside restaurant will offer lunch and dinner on weekends. I swear I am not a paid sponsor or anything like that; the food is just delicious!
I try to keep my digital pictures relatively organized. I really enjoy the exercise of "cleaning" my pictures at the end of the year. It's fun to look back through the year and remember little details that have been forgotten. Here are some random pictures from last year.
Sometimes you can get these guys in town that have coals with roasted meat and banana. Very portable.
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The best phone repair in Iringa is a converted shipping container.
This is the workspace in the phone repair shop.
My motorcycle driver had a life jacket. Right concept, wrong context.
Customized mudflaps for motorcycles, a thriving business.
This door leads to nowhere.
It's common for transport options to have a custom slogan. But COVID 20???
